Excellent questions.
First, our valley is considered the banana belt of the Pacific NW. The elevation at our home is almost 1500 or 1600 feet (I forget). The river below us is 1100-1200. The valley usually holds heat. This valley to our west drops to low 700's in elevation and there is Hells Canyon. In front and behind our house, those are not mountains (though we call them that) they are valley walls with prairies and farm lands on much of it. If you go only 10 miles east you hit the largest wilderness in the lower 48...millions of acres.

Second- I do cut the rabbet on both sides but opposite faces so that the groove for the top is on the front and the groove for the bottom is on the back. I was going to do tongue and groove, but simply do not have the time or confidence to set it up consistently to maintain a perfect tongue or groove.

Third- laziness. I hate putting on chains, especially when there is a lot of mud and slush. On our hill we don't have any right now, but on the pullout across the highway from our driveway, when the temps are in the mid 30's to 40, it is a nasty soup, so I try to get by with the fewest possible. When it is 2 or 10 degrees, everything is frozen solid and I can get them on and off without covering my self and my clothes in mud.

Fourth- Hoping to have a website soon. Waiting for a couple of things, and then trying to hire a professional to really make it look nice, add articles I may write, along with items we will be selling online. I will let everybody know.

Thanks for the awesome questions. Anytime you have them I will try to answer them in a timely manner.